Newsprint and Improved Quality
High-speed presses demand flat profiles and superior roll conditions
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Newsprint maintains its position as the designated medium of choice for printed daily news. Competition from weekly periodicals and the instant updates available via the internet have encroached on this market. The newsprint industry has responded by increasing product quality while maintaining their position as the lower cost alternative. The quality improvements achieved are a basic requirement to participate in this market. Today's modern high-speed printing presses must be fed a very uniform sheet. If this is not the case, they face unacceptable breaks and the resulting loss in production and efficiency. The annual growth in newsprint tonnage is the lowest among the major paper grades. Against this backdrop, the cost of a completely new production line can hardly be justified in economic terms and may not generate the required return on assets. |
This economic scenario has caused the papermaker to focus on improving the quality and efficiency on the existing installed base of newsprint machines. A number of newsprint producers are upgrading to improved newsprint. This product must meet higher surface finish specifications necessary for 4-color printing. The most common areas that must be addressed are dry edges, reel/roll building (wrinkles, ridges etc.) and winder runability. A flat moisture profile at the machine reel is the single process improvement that has the greatest impact on these variables. The increase in edge moisture will ensure the edge rolls are A-grade product and eliminate the poor reel conditions caused by the transition from a nominal average moisture level to an extremely dry edge. Page 1 of 3 |
